Zahra Mohamed Ahmad

Last updated

Zahra Mohamed Ahmad
Zahra Mohamed Ahmad in 2015 (sq cropped).jpg
in 2015
Born1952 (age 7273)
Nationality Somalian
Occupation(s)Lawyer and manager
Known forLeading the Somali Women Development Center in Mogadishu
Children5

Zahra Mohamed Ahmad (born 1952) is a Somalian human rights activist and lawyer. She is the founder of the Somali Women Development Center. She was awarded the International Women of Courage Award in 2021.

Contents

Personal life

Ahmad was born in 1952 and had seven siblings. Her father was a police officer. [1]

Ahmad became the deputy manager of the customs at Mogadishu Airport. She was married to a former airforce and commercial pilot General Mohamud Sheikh Ali and they had five children. In 1991 the structure of Somalia broke down and there was civil unrest. In the following year she and her family left, with regret, for Tanzania. They lived there until 2000. Somalia was still not a good place to live but Ahmed and her family moved back to help with the rebuilding. [1]

Career and education

She went to work encouraging schools to reopen and war lords to give up violence. The organisation she formed was called HINNA. [1] Later, in 2000, she founded and led the Somali Women Development Center (SWDC) in Mogadishu. [2]

In 2005 she returned to university to gain a degree in International and Sharia Law at Somalia University. They support women who are on remand or on trial and the survivors of sexual violence. The SWDC also report on abuse and violence in Somalia. The SWDC provides legal assistance and she is the main legal advisor. [3] Her organisation's workers were harassed and threatened, her only son has died and she was also at risk. In 2013 two of SWDC's other lawyers were killed in an attack on Mogadishu's courthouse in which 27 other people died and 60 were wounded. [4]

Her organisation established the Ceebla Crisis Line 5555. [5] The line offers support in both Somali and English to those women who are involved with violence and abuse. [5] The line had support from Lydia Wanyoto who was Head of the African Union Mission to Somalia and Somalia's first lady, Zahra Omar Hassan. [6]

Recognition

Ahmad was nominated by the US Ambassador to Somalia, Donald Yamamoto, [3] and she was awarded the International Women of Courage Award in 2021. [7] The award was presented virtually by the First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on International Women's Day. [8] There were fourteen living women given awards that year. The awardees were from fifteen countries as the 2021 awards included an extra seven women who had died in Afghanistan. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali Armed Forces</span> Military of the Federal Republic of Somalia

The Somali Armed Forces are the military forces of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Headed by the president as commander-in-chief, they are constitutionally mandated to ensure the nation's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali Civil War</span> Ongoing conflict in the Horn of Africa

The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war that is taking place in Somalia. It grew out of resistance to the military junta which was led by Siad Barre during the 1980s. From 1988 to 1990, the Somali Armed Forces began engaging in combat against various armed rebel groups, including the Somali Salvation Democratic Front in the northeast, the Somali National Movement in the Somaliland War of Independence in the northwest, and the United Somali Congress in the south. The clan-based armed opposition groups overthrew the Barre government in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharif Sheikh Ahmed</span> President of Somalia from 2009 to 2012

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed is a Somali Politician who served as the 7th President of Somalia from 2009 to 2012. Before his presidency, he became the Chairman of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) from 2004 to 2007 and the Alliance of Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) from 2007 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transitional Federal Government of Somalia</span> Government of Somalia from 2004 to 2012

The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Somalia from 14 October 2004 until 20 August 2012, when its tenure officially ended and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) was inaugurated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Somalia</span>

Human rights in Somalia throughout the late 20th-century and early 21st-century were considered dire, but have gradually improved over the following years. Human rights are guaranteed in the Federal Constitution, which was adopted in August 2012. They fall under the Ministry of Human Rights established in August 2013. The central authorities concurrently inaugurated a National Human Rights Day, endorsed an official Human Rights Roadmap, and completed Somalia's first National Gender Policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Union Mission to Somalia</span> Intervention force in Somalia 2007-2022

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a Multinational force formed by the African Union. The operation deployed to Somalia soon after the Islamic Courts Union was deposed by troops from Ethiopia during a large scale invasion in late 2006. The missions primary objective was to maintain the regime change between the ICU and the newly installed Transitional Federal Government, implement a national security plan and train the TFG security forces. As part of its duties, AMISOM later supported the Federal Government of Somalia in its war against Al-Shabaab. AMISOM was the most deadly peacekeeping operation in the post-war era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somali Civil War (2009–present)</span> Ongoing conflict in the Horn of Africa since 2009

The Somali Civil War (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali Civil War which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia. It began in late January 2009 with the present conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops and al-Shabaab militants who pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda during 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mogadishu (2009)</span> Battle of the Somali Civil War

The Battle of Mogadishu (2009) started in May with an Islamist offensive, when rebels from al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam attacked and captured government bases in the capital of Mogadishu. The fighting soon spread, causing hundreds of casualties, and continued on at various levels of intensity until October. The battle's name usually includes the year, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Mogadishu (2010–2011)</span>

The Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) began on 23 August 2010 when al-Shabaab insurgents began attacking government and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) positions in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab began its offensive after its spokesman said the group was declaring a "massive war" on troops sent by AMISOM, describing its 6,000 peacekeepers as "invaders". In December 2010 the number of AMISOM troops was increased to 8,000 and later to 9,000. The battle's name usually includes the years, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Holt</span> British photojournalist (born 1972)

Katherine Emily Holt is a British photojournalist, who works primarily across Africa and the Middle East to gather humanitarian and development stories for NGOs and private companies, as well as the UK and global media. She is also the director of communications agency, Arete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Women of Courage Award</span> US State Department award presented to women who proved their prominence for womens rights

The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have shown leadership, courage, resourcefulness, and willingness to sacrifice for others, especially in promoting women's rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Intelligence and Security Agency</span> Somalias national intelligence agency

The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) is the national intelligence agency of the Federal Republic of Somalia. It is headquartered in Mogadishu. The NISA is also closely intertwined with the Somali Armed Forces and regularly cooperates with them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khadijo Mohamed Diriye</span> Somali politician (1964–2023)

Khadijo Mohamed Diriye was a Somali politician. From January 2014 to January 2015, she served as the Minister of Women and Human Rights of Somalia. As of March 2017, she served as the Minister of Youth and Sports in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fartuun Adan</span> Somali social activist

Fartuun Abdisalaan Adan is a Somali social activist. She is the executive director of the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilwad Elman</span> Somali-Canadian social activist

Ilwad Elman is a Somali-Canadian social activist. She works at the Elman Peace and Human Rights Center in Mogadishu alongside her mother Fartuun Adan, the NGO's founder. She was voted the African Young Personality (Female) of the Year during the 2016 Africa Youth Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Alalo</span> Ugandan peacekeeper and police commissioner (1970–2019)

Christine Alalo was a Ugandan peacekeeper and police commissioner, who received the EU Human Rights Defenders Award in 2014. She was one of the passengers killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.

Events in the year 2021 in Somalia.

In Somalia, freedom of speech and freedom of the media is guaranteed under the Somali Constitution established when the Federal Government was established in 2012. However, while there are swathes of blogs along with nearly 100 established media outlets, the culture of journalism has been violated with violence, arbitrary arrests, persecution, and suppression of the media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disappearance of Ikran Tahlil Farah</span> Somali civil servant (1996–2021)

Ikran Tahlil Farah was a Somali civil servant with a background in international human rights law and international relations, who was employed by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency. At the time of her disappearance, in June 2021, she had been working in NISA's cybersecurity department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anita Kiki Gbeho</span> Ghanaian United Nations official

Anita Kiki Gbeho is a Ghanaian United Nations official who is the Deputy Special Representative in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and Resident Coordinator in South Sudan since 8 December 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Meet Zahra Mohamed Ahmed". Women in Islam Journal. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. "Zahra Mohamed Ahmad (Somalia) | Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs". eca.state.gov. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  3. 1 2 "US honors Somali Human Rights Defender with International Women of Courage Award". hornobserver.com. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  4. "Zahra Mohamed Ahmed". Front Line Defenders. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 "AMISOM Holds Advocacy Day on Ceebla Crisis Line". AMISOM. 20 December 2015. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  6. "Farsight Africa Group". farsightafrica.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  7. "Biographies of the Finalists for the 2021 International Women of Courage Awards". United States Department of State. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  8. "US honors Somali Human Rights Defender with International Women of Courage Award". hornobserver.com. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  9. "2021 International Women of Courage Award Recipients Announced". United States Department of State. Retrieved 21 March 2021.